Senior Design Manager - U&R

BakerHicks; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car / cash allowance

Pension plan

Life assurance

25 days annual leave

Discount scheme

Flexible/hybrid working

Family friendly policies

Employee assistance

Professional development

Job summary

BakerHicks’ Utilities & Renewables team seeks a Senior Design Manager to lead multi-disciplinary design delivery across complex utilities and renewables projects in regulated environments. You will coordinate designs with the Project Manager, Commercial Manager and Construction Manager, ensuring compliance, safety and alignment with programme and budget.

You will guide senior engineers, navigate stakeholder interfaces, and drive risk mitigation while expanding client relationships and

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in Engineering or a relevant discipline.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards is desirable.
• Relevant leadership or project management qualification (e.g. APM, PRINCE2) desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination and technical assurance of multi-disciplinary design outputs, ensuring compliance with industry standards, regulatory frameworks, and client specifications (e.g. DNO/TSO, Ofgem, environmental and planning constraints).
• Manage design delivery against contracted scope, ensuring alignment with project objectives, programme and budget.
• Develop and maintain integrated design programmes that reflect complex asset interfaces, project sequencing, outages and commissioning constraints.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder collaboration

Risk management

Proactive mindset

Education

Engineering degree

Chartered Engineer desirable

APM/PRINCE2 desirable

Job description

BakerHicks’ Utilities & Renewables (U&R) team delivers critical infrastructure projects thatsupport the UK’s energy transition and essential services, spanning power generation, transmission and distribution, water, and wider industrial utilities.

The team works in highly regulated, safety-critical environments, partnering with clients to design and deliver sustainable, resilient and future-ready infrastructure. Within this context, the Design Manager plays a central role inleading multi-disciplinary design delivery across complex utilities and renewable projects.

Working closely with the Project Manager, Commercial Manager and Construction Manager, the Design Manager is responsible for ensuring designs are fully coordinated, compliant, and aligned to programme, cost and operational requirements.

The role requires strong leadership, stakeholder collaboration and a proactive approach to managing risk, particularly where projects interface with live assets, regulatory frameworks and evolving energy and sustainability priorities.

Why choose this role?

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role at the heart of the UK’s energy transition and critical infrastructure delivery. Within BakerHicks’ Utilities & Renewables team, you will work on high-impact projects spanning power, water and wider utilities, directly contributing to the development of sustainable, resilient and future-ready infrastructure.

As a Senior Design Manager, you will take ownership of complex, multidisciplinary design delivery in technically challenging and regulated environments, giving you real influence over how projects are shaped and delivered. You’ll collaborate with experienced teams and industry-leading clients, gaining exposure to major programmes, emerging technologies and evolving energy solutions.

Beyond project delivery, the role offers the chance to grow and lead, developing your leadership capability, strengthening client relationships and contributing to business development in a sector that is rapidly expanding.

If you are motivated by solving complex problems, driving collaboration and delivering meaningful infrastructure, this role provides both challenge and long-term career progression within a forward-thinking consultancy.

What You Will Do

Lead the coordination and technical assurance of multi-disciplinary design outputs, ensuring compliance with industry standards, regulatory frameworks, and client specifications (e.g. DNO/TSO, Ofgem, environmental and planning constraints)

Manage design delivery against contracted scope, ensuring alignment with project objectives, programme and budget

Develop and maintain integrated design programmes that reflect complex asset interfaces, project sequencing, outages and commissioning constraints

Qualifications

Degree-qualified in Engineering or relevant discipline (e.g. Architecture, Electrical, Civil, Mechanical)

Chartered Engineer status (or working towards)/ RIBA and/or ARB registered desirable

Relevant leadership or project management qualification (e.g. APM, PRINCE2) desirable

Many of the positions within our company are subject to security clearance or security assurance levels.

The successful candidate must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate level of security clearance or assurance level for this role, in line with client and sector requirements.

In some cases, additional nationality or residency criteria may also apply due to specific client or national security obligations.

Further information on National security clearance levels can be found on the UK Government website: National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

About BakerHicks

We’ve been innovating in design, engineering and project delivery since 1957 and operate from 14 locations for a truly European reach. For more about our company story, see: About | BakerHicks.

BakerHicks. A Morgan Sindall Group company.

Benefits

Whatever your discipline, you’ll be alongside some of the most talented people in the industry. Our network of offices are appealing, friendly and comfortable spaces, easily accessible by car or public transport. And our salary and benefits packages are some of the best in the industry.

What you get will depend on what you do, with individual performance-related rewards also on offer in addition to:

• Company car or cash allowance
• Up to 6% matched contributory pension plan
• Life assurance scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus ability to buy additional leave
• Discount scheme (including gym membership, mobile phones etc)
• Flexible/hybrid working
• Family friendly policies
• Employee assistance
• Professional development

BakerHicks is an equal opportunity employer. We care about creating an inclusive atmosphere and are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion throughout.
BakerHicks is an inclusive organisation welcoming talent from all backgrounds. Applicants are assessed on the basis of personal merit and qualifications.